Car-coupling



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILTON n. THURBER, OF sonANToN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,167, dated May 31, 1881.

\ Application filed February 8, 1881. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MILTON R. THURBER, of Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,,forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section, showin g the position of the parts when set for coupling; Fig. 3, a similar view, showing the position of the parts after the link has entered and the coupling has been effected; and Fig. 4, a horizontal section.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote the same parts.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved car-oouplingwhich can, at will, be adjusted to couple automatically, or so as not to couple at all, and which shall also be adapted to automatically uncouple when the car to which it is applied is thrown from the track and turned over; and the invention consists in a combination of parts for effecting these results, which I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawings, A represents the drawhead; B, an angular lever, pivoted at b, and working in a slot in the lower part of the drawhead and carrying an upwardly projecting pin, 0,.near the end of its lower arm, I), as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

D is a plate hinged to the upperpart of the draw-head at d, and having a block, d, which projects down through a slot in the draw-head over the angular lever B and pin 0.

E E are two cam-levers mounted 011 opposite ends of a short shaft or cross-bolt, e, that passes transversely through the hinged plate D. These cam-levers are adapted to rest in concaves to a in the upper part of the draw-head, and when they are turned forward, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, they permit the plate D to lie flat upon the top of the draw-head with its block portion or projection d projected inwardly into the draw-head, but when turned backward they cause the said top plate to be lifted, as seen in dotted lines, Fig. 1. The projection d of the top plate is preferably tapered or beveled on its under face from its outer end inward,and is provided with a shoulder, d for the engagement of the upper arm, b of the lever B, and with a perforation, (1 for the accommodation of the pin 0. The Weight of the lower arm, I), of the angular lever keeps the lever normally tilted into the position shown in Fig. 2, with the pin Crestingin a recess in the forward part of the drawhead, near its mouth, and the arm I) of the lever projecting forward so as to present an inclined face to the entering link.

When the deviceis set for automatic coupling, the angular lever and pin are allowed to assume the position shown in Fig. 2, and the cam-levers E E are thrown forward, as also shown in the same figure. As the link of the approaching car enters the draw-head it strikes the inclined face of the arm b and tilts the lever back on its pivot, thereby causing the end of the arm I) to come in contact with the beveled or inclined portion d on the hinged top plate and raise or swing upward the said top plate, the pin 0 at the same time rising up through the link. When the end of the arm 1) reaches the shoulder 6?, the hinged top plate falls back again to its first position, leaving the end of said arm engaged with the shoulder at and the pin 0 projected up into the perforation d, all as shown in Fig. 8. When the entered link is now pulled forward by the starting of the cars, the top plate, by its engagement with the pin and the arm of the lever, holds the parts securely and firmly together, and effectually prevents the withdrawal of the link.

In order to prevent the jamming of the arm 11 by the link when the train is in motion, the draw-head is formed with protecting-shoulders a a just in front of said arm b when it is engaged with the top plate, as seen in Fig. 3. These shoulders form a solid abutment, against which the link can strike without danger to the arm of the lever behind them.

To uncouple, it is only necessary to raise either one of the cam-levers, which may be done from either side of the track, or from the carplatform, by hand, or by a rod, rope, or chain, until the top plate is swung up sufficiently far to disengage it from the pin and lever-arm, as will be readily understood.

To make what is called a fly-switch the cam-levers can be turned back so as to hold the top plate permanently raised and the car can then be pushed back rapidly into a switch, and, upon the engine being reversed, allowed to go free. Such turning back of the camlevers can be effected by the switchman as the earpasses the switch, it'desired. Another advantagcarises from being able to keep the top plate raisednaniel v, the links of other cars are permitted to enter the draw-head without coupling to it, thereby avoiding the inconvenience of connecting cars not desired to be connected.

Should a car provided with my couplings accidentally leave the track and turn over, the couplings will at once automatically uncouple and prevent other cars from being derailed.

Having thus described my invention. 1 claim as new- 1. The coinbiimtion, ith the drmv-head, of the pivoted angular lever having the arms 1; b and carrying the pin t, and the hinged top plate having the shoulder (P, for the engage ment of the arm b of the lever, and the pert'oratiou 11 for the engagement of the pin 0, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

2. The draw-head haviugthe lever B pivoted to it, and provided with the shoulders at a, for protecting, the arm I; of said lever from be ingjammed by the link, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the hinged top plate, of the cam-levers, whereby said plate can be raised for uncoupling or lowered for setting the coupling, orlocked permanently in a raised position, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the draw'head, the pivoted lever having arms 1) b and carrying the pin (J, with the pivoted top having the in wardly-projectiug block (1, the shoulder (t and perforation (1 and with the cam-levers E I substantially as described.

MILTON lt. THURBER.

Witnesses:

(,1. E. (/IIITTENDEN, I). ll. 15. LAoKEY. 

